Students must submit a 5-page reaction paper on the book thatanswers the following questions:*Based on Putnam’s work, what does the American Dream mean to you?*Do we live in a country that rewards hard work equitably?*Do Putnam’s stories and his accompanying analysis make you feel lessconfident or more confident about pursuing a career in public affairs?----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ESSAY EXCERPT--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Robert Putnam is among the most influential social scientists of the twenty-first century. His work concentrates on the connection between the community, civil society and public affairs. His works are majorly geared towards achieving social change and social capital with an aim improving community participation and active civic engagement. In “Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis”, Putnam dwells in revealing the socio-economic, and cultural factors that have shaped the achievement of the so-called “The American Dream” in the twenty-first century. In his book, he narrates stories, which serve as eye-opening episodes to finding out the socio-economic, and demographics challenges that exist and the current society, as well as providing solutions to how to achieve sustainability and stability in the family and community.According to Putnam, the American Dream is essentially the belief that there are equal opportunities based on ones’ skills and talents, and that children have better lives than their parents do. Putnam argues, however, that these recent years have seen more Americans having doubts about achieving the American Dream. Putnam in his book, seeks to answer questions like “what factors determine where people end up in the society”? He examines how these perceptions have changed over time. Putnam uses numerous researches with vignettes from families and youths that represent the disparities that exists in achieving the American dream today. [Show Less]